Tag Archives: politics

The Racket We Call Health Insurance

Remember this… The whole insurance industry was started when a man made a wager on the date of another man’s death. (Or would that be better described as a wager on his life expectancy?) This grew from a popular gambling past-time into a hedge fund that a finance company managed. Once the concept caught on, it took on a new name (“insurance”) and was used to gamble on the loss of life, property, and health. The hedge fund management companies, known as “insurance companies,” grew pretty smart… To the point that they now hire actuaries to figure out mathematically what makes these bets a good deal for them.

Healthcare, in the form that most people use, is actually a LOT cheaper than we’re paying for insurance. The insurance companies have gotten so good at selling insurance, they have us believing that what we’re paying is a good deal. They’ve convinced us that we shouldn’t gamble with the possibility that something catastrophic will happen. “It’s not a question of if, but when.” And have convinced us to pay thousands of dollars per year in premiums (not to mention deductibles), all the while knowing that what they’ll pay out is much less than we’re paying them.

I have nothing against a company making a profit. What I do have an issue with is our government FORCING us to purchase something that’s 1) a wager and 2) should be our choice of participation.

And don’t forget… The pharmaceutical companies have gotten so good at convincing us that we don’t need to take care of ourselves naturally, but that we can spend “catastrophic” amounts of money on their drugs to combat whatever is ailing us. Knowing full well that those drugs cause other problems, for which we’ll need more drugs to manage.

I made it pretty well known that I was against Obamacare before it was ratified by Congress. The Republican Part hated it, too. But here we are given the opportunity to be rid of it, and instead, Trump wants to “Repeal and Replace,” and the House of Representatives just introduced the new Republican version of Socialized Medicine.

The Leviathan

Leviathan by Hobbes

When will our Congress understand that IT IS THE LEVIATHAN (in our current age, in this country)?

How can anyone who believes in the concept of FREEDOM under which this country was sought and created by the brave people who left the supposed security of their home country, not only support, but promote such a monstrous concept that curtails those very freedoms?

It’s bad enough that we (those of us with insurance) have the insurance companies coming between us and our doctors, but now the government wants to put their nose in our private business, too. Not just to have their say, as it pertains to our health and health care provided by healthcare professionals, but to decide how much it should cost us.

Before ObamaCare, many families opted out of the insurance gamble and simply paid cash for any doctor’s visits – or long-term payments on hospital bills. (The Amish in particular do not believe in insurance, and were supposedly exempt from the penalties based on religion.) After ObamaCare, these families were penalized for not participating. So let’s call it what it is: Mandatory State-Sponsored Gambling.

Now the Republicans in Congress think they can do it better. For one thing, they’re still enabling 20-somethings instead of teaching them to grow up & stand on their own two feet.

I haven’t read all of it yet, but I will continue to believe that the government needs to get out of the healthcare biz. It’s an Unconstitutional infringement of our freedoms AND is a means of supporting the SPECIFIC Welfare, not the General Welfare, of its citizens.

In watching the news over the past few months, a thought keeps bouncing around in my head. (Maybe it’s too empty, so that’s why things bounce around? LOL) That thought is this:

Whatever happened to “the buck stops here?” Whatever happened to “give ‘em hell, Harry?” Whatever happened to “birds of a feather…?” Whatever happened to saying what you mean and meaning what you say and not apologizing for it?

Ok, so that’s more than one thought. But bear with me and you’ll see why it’s really one thought.

When President Truman said, “the buck stops here,” and even had a plaque on his desk saying as much, he was letting the world know that he took responsibility for his actions – or inaction. This was indicative of a time when we were all expected to take personal responsibility – for our lives, our decisions, our actions, and, in the end, whatever circumstances we found ourselves in. (Of course there were people who were robbed or cheated, and when the perpetrator was found, he paid the consequences. The victim might never recover his losses, but justice will have been served. And he didn’t continue to live his life with a victim mentality, expecting pity and a handout at every turn.)

When the Truman supporter yelled out “give ‘em hell, Harry!” he indicated that we expect our politicians to be true to themselves and fight on our behalf. But hardly anyone remembers Harry’s response: “I don’t give them hell. I just tell the truth about them and they think it’s hell.” He said what he meant, meant what he said, and didn’t apologize for it.

Back then, we would never play follow the leader with someone we didn’t know (quite a bit about) and who wouldn’t state clearly and directly what they stood for, what EXACTLY they wanted to accomplish, and HOW they were going to do it. We would never follow someone who didn’t stand up for what they believed and say it directly.

Leaders like Harry Truman are almost non-existent. I’m not saying he was the best President we ever had, but I am saying that the would-be leaders of today lack his qualities.

What qualities are those, Danni?

Well, hang on and I’ll get to that. First I want to address one of those other thoughts before I explain why they’re all related.

When I was a child, Mama tried to instruct me to be particular about the friends I chose. She didn’t like the friends I was choosing and wanted me to choose as she would. She’d always tell me, “Birds of a feather flock together.” I remember the first time she said it, she had to explain, “It means that you’re known by the friends you choose. People will believe that your are just like the kind of people you choose to spend your time with.” So in other words, whoever I played with (coming from a 6- or 7-year-old) indicated to everyone else that these are the people I like and prefer to be with. Ok! No problem, because it’s true. She wanted me to play with the “stuck up” girls because they would have conveyed a certain status onto me. I didn’t care about status (still don’t). They didn’t treat me how I wanted to be treated, so I had nothing to do with them. I wouldn’t even acknowledge their presence.

So what qualities do I want in a leader?

For me that would be an independent thinker. Someone who understands cause and effect, and will always address the cause, not the symptom. Someone who clearly and directly says what he believes and isn’t afraid to stand up for it. Someone who takes personal responsibility, bases his actions on it, and boldly acts. Someone who isn’t afraid to state the truth and not sugar coat it or spin it. Someone who knows that birds of a feather flock together, and isn’t ashamed of the world knowing with whom he chooses to associate, nor makes excuses for those associations. Someone who knows that his sense of judgment is evidenced by all of these.

Someone who has good Character, with plenty of evidence to back it up.

Today there are people running for public office who sugar coat the truth, misrepresent the truth, spin the point, and evade the facts. The problem is that way too many people fall for it. And they don’t know any better because they’ve been brainwashed in a 90210, it’s-all-about-me, holding-my-hand-out-for-my-silver-platter, instant-fame-and-wealth-via-reality-TV culture. They’ve been told that there’s an easy life ahead of them with unlimited riches, but not told that that is available ONLY if you work for it. Only if you’re willing to sacrifice – maybe for a long time and not just short-term – so that you EARN the easy life.

Our society is so engrossed in celebrity status and will follow the herd just because a famous person said so. I’ve got news for the herd: celebrities are just as dumb as the rest of us, just because they’re famous doesn’t make them smart! Nor right.

Ok, I’m not gonna go off on that tangent.

My point is that Leadership and Character go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other. A leader who possesses no Character can’t lead because he doesn’t stand for, nor is willing to fight for, anything. A person who possesses no Leadership skills hasn’t yet developed any character.

I understand all about wanting to be a part of history and helping to bring it about. I’m just not willing to do so in such a manner that it will make US history. I’m not willing to sacrifice my country, the constitution, and what we stand for just to see history in action.

Here’s a news flash: we are LIVING in a period of time that WILL make history. One way or the other.

The question is, what do you want your future to look like? Do you understand cause and effect? Are you willing to take responsibility for the actions you take today to effect that future? Are you willing to pay the consequences for those actions? (Ok, that was more than one question.)

It really is overwhelming when you realize the responsibility that sits on the shoulders of every individual in this country, at this turning point in our lives.

With this much at stake, I hope and pray that we don’t take it lightly.